TCU Football Season Recap
1/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 9, 2003
TEAM NOTES
* TCU finished the season with a 10-2 record overall, 6-2 in conference play, and tied for first in Conference USA. They represented C-USA as conference champions in the 44th Annual AXA Liberty Bowl and defeated Colorado State University by a 17-3 score.
* The Frogs finished the season ranked among the nation's top 25 in both major polls. The Frogs were the 22nd-ranked team in the land according to the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll and the nation's 23rd best team according to the Associated Press. It marked the second time in three years that TCU finished ranked among the nation's elite, as the 2000 squad (also 10-2) was 18th in the final Coaches' poll and 21st in the final A.P. poll.
* TCU's AXA Liberty Bowl victory over Colorado State marked the 500th win in school history. The Frogs own an all-time record of 500-493-57 after 1,050 games.
* TCU is one of just 18 Division I programs that has gone to a bowl game in each of the past five seasons. The Frogs have posted a 3-2 record in bowl games in that span.
* Twenty-three Horned Frog seniors wrapped up their collegiate careers in the Liberty Bowl. That class posted 34 victories over the past four seasons, the most in a four-year period at TCU since the school won 36 games from 1935-38.
* TCU has recorded two 10-win seasons in the past three years. They have won 10 or more games just six times in school history: 1932 (10), 1933 (10), 1935 (12), 1938 (11), 2000 (10) and 2002 (10).
* TCU lost twice this season by a total of 10 points, both on the road - by seven in overtime at Cincinnati and by three at East Carolina. TCU had at least an 11-point lead as late as the third quarter in each of those setbacks.
* TCU finished the season with the nation's top-ranked defense. The Frogs allowed an average of just 240.25 yards per game and allowed over 300 yards just once all season - in the season opener at Cincinnati. It marked the second time in three years that TCU led the nation in total defense (also in 2000 when they allowed an average of 245.0 yards per game).
* TCU led the country in defending the run. TCU allowed just 64.83 yards per game rushing. The Frogs were the only team in the country to allow less than two yards per carry during the season, as opponents averaged just 1.98 yards per rush.
* TCU ranked second in the country in pass efficiency defense. The Frogs' 84.62 rating trailed only Miami (Fla.), which garnered a mark of 83.91.
* TCU finished 10th in the country in turnover margin with a plus-1.25 turnover ratio per game. TCU forced 42 turnovers in 12 games, an average of 3.5 turnovers per game. The 42 turnovers forced ranked second in the country behind Tulane (which recorded 43 turnovers in 13 games). TCU tied for fourth in the country with 22 interceptions and ranked fifth in the nation with 20 fumbles recovered.
* The Frogs were a perfect 6-0 at home this season and own a 19-3 mark at Amon G. Carter Stadium since the start of the 1999 season. The losses have come to Arizona, Northwestern State and East Carolina.
* For the first time in school history, the 2002 TCU football team did not play a road game within the state of Texas.
* TCU did not trail at halftime during the entire 2002 season. They went into the intermission with the lead on nine occasions and were tied in the other three contests.
* Of the 24 starters (11 offense, 11 defense, 2 special teams), TCU will return 11 in 2003: four on offense, six on defense and one on special teams.
* TCU's 2003 non-conference schedule opens with a home game against Navy on September 6. The Frogs will entertain Vanderbilt on September 20, play at Arizona on September 27 and travel to Dallas to face SMU on either November 28 or 29. TCU will play eight conference games. INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
* Second year head coach Gary Patterson was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year by the league's coaches and media, by The Sporting News and by ESPN.com. Patterson owns a 16-9 record in his first 25 games as the Frogs' head coach. That matches Dennis Franchione's mark as the best record after 25 games of any TCU football coach since the legendary Dutch Meyer was 20-5 in 1934 and '35.
* Senior punter Joey Biasatti was the only Conference USA punter to make the semifinal list of 10 for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter. He had one of his better games of the season in the bowl win over Colorado State, when he punted six times for a 42.5 yard average, including a 61-yarder. His longest punt of the season was 63 yards versus Tulane, while his longest career punt was a 79-yarder at Nevada in 2000. He finished his career as the school's fourth all-time leading punter with a 41.1 yard average.
* Junior placekicker Nick Browne earned first team Verizon Academic All-America honors, the first TCU player to earn that honor since 1980. He led the country with an average of 1.92 field goals made per game, converting 23-of-30 attempts on the season. He earned fourth team All-America honors according to The Sporting News and was a first team all-conference selection according to the league's media and coaches, The Sporting News and Collegefootballnews.com. He was one of eight semi-finalists for the Socrates Award, which goes to the college athlete who best exemplifies excellence in athletics and academics. A two-time 2002 Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week recipient, Browne set a school record and tied a conference record with five field goals in the season-opener at Cincinnati. His 23 field goals tied the TCU single season record, while his 30 attempts established a new school mark. A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, he scored a team-high 105 points, becoming the first kicker in TCU history to garner more than 100 points in a season, and recorded the fourth-highest single season point total at TCU regardless of position. He also carries a 4.0 GPA in finance-real estate and plays on TCU's soccer team.
*Senior wide receiver/kick returner LaTarence Dunbar earned second team all-conference honors at both positions. He finished second in the conference and sixth in the nation in kick return average with a mark of 27.83 yards per return. He recorded a school record three kick returns for touchdowns during his TCU career, including one as a senior against Houston. He also finished eighth on TCU's all-time receiving yards list with 1,544. He was ninth in the league in all-purpose yards, averaging 97.4 yards per game. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player in the 2002 AXA Liberty Bowl.
* Senior defensive back Jason Goss was a first team all-conference selection by the league's media and coaches, by Collegefootballnews.com and by The Sporting News. He led the country in passes defended with 32, an average of 2.67 per game. He broke up 24 passes to go along with his eight interceptions, which tied the school single season record. He led the conference and tied for third in the country with an average of 0.67 interceptions per game. He picked off 14 passes in his career to finish in a tie for fifth on the TCU all-time list. He made more starts (41) than any other current member of the Horned Frogs. He was named TCU's Defensive Player of the Game in the Liberty Bowl win over Colorado State. He was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and in the Paradise Bowl.
* Senior free safety Kenneth Hilliard was a second team all-conference selection by the league's media and coaches. K-Hill intercepted five passes during the season to rank in a tie for 31st in the nation with an average of 0.42 picks per game, the league's fifth best mark. He returned one interception for a touchdown against Houston. He finished second on the team in tackles with 76, including 55 solo stops. He logged eight career interceptions, including seven in his final 13 games as a Horned Frog. He has been invited to play in the Paradise Bowl following the season.
* Freshman Lonta Hobbs was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year by the league's media and coaches, by ESPN.com and by Collegefootballnews.com. A true freshman, he was a first team all-league pick and a fourth-team freshman All-American by The Sporting News. He earned a spot on the C-USA media and coaches All-Freshman team. He became the first freshman in TCU history to rush for more than 1,000 yards, as he gained 1,029 yards on just 157 attempts, averages of 128.6 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry. It was just the eighth 1,000-yard rushing season in TCU history. He also scored a TCU freshman record 13 touchdowns, including 12 rushing touchdowns, despite playing just eight games. He also established a freshman single game rushing record with a 287-yard performance in the regular season finale against Memphis, the seventh best single rushing day in TCU history. He has posted five of TCU's nine 100-yard rushing games turned in by a freshman.
* Senior linebacker LaMarcus McDonald was a first team All-American by Collegefootballnews.com, a second team selection by the Associated Press and earned a spot on the fourth team All-America list according to The Sporting News. He was named the Conference USA Player of the Year by Collegefootballnews.com, ESPN.com and The Sporting News. He was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year according to the league's coaches and media, Collegefootballnews.com and The Sporting News. He was a consensus first-team all-league selection. He finished third in the nation in tackles for loss after recording 20 solo and 10 assisted tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He led the team and was sixth in the league with an average of 9.8 tackles per game and led the conference in both sacks and tackles for loss. He has accepted a bid to participate in the Senior Bowl.
* Senior wide receiver Adrian Madise led the team with 32 receptions for a team-high 524 yards, an average of 16.4 yards per catch. It was the second straight year in which he led the Frogs in both categories. He ranks 11th on TCU's all-time receiving yards list with 1,343, despite playing just two seasons for the Horned Frogs. The MVP of the 2001 season, Madise was invited to play in the 2003 Rotary Gridiron Classic.
* Senior offensive tackle Jamal Powell was a first team all-conference selection by the league's media and coaches, Collegefootballnews.com and The Sporting News. He was invited to participate in the Paradise Bowl following the season.
*Junior defensive tackle Chad Pugh earned first team all-conference honors according to The Sporting News and second team honors by the league's media and coaches. He was in on 43 tackles, including 16 behind the line of scrimmage. He was a key factor in why the Frogs led the nation in rushing defense.
* Redshirt freshman defensive end Rannoris Ray was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman squad by both the league's media and coaches and by The Sporting News.
* Junior defensive end Bo Schobel was named to the all-conference first team by the league's media and coaches and by Collegefootballnews.com. He finished ninth in the league with an average of 0.67 sacks per game and ninth in the league with an average of 1.50 tackles for loss per game.
* Senior defensive tackle John Turntine earned first team all-conference honors according to The Sporting News and second team honors by the league's media and coaches. A vocal and inspirational leader, Turntine was in on 40 tackles during the season, including 15 behind the line of scrimmage. He recorded 5.0 sacks.
